Warriors middle DeMarcus Cousins, left, goes up for a dunk as Clippers ahead Danilo Gallinari watches in the course of the first half of Friday’s recreation at Staples Middle. (AP Photograph/Mark J. Terrill)

Clippers middle Marcin Gortat, left, defends Warriors middle DeMarcus Cousins through the first half of Friday’s recreation at Staples Middle. Cousins had 14 factors, six rebounds and three assists in 15 minutes earlier than fouling out of his season debut. (AP Photograph/Mark J. Terrill)

Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant, left; Draymond Inexperienced, second from left; Stephen Curry, third from left; DeMarcus Cousins, second from proper; and Klay Thompson, proper, stroll on the courtroom together with Los Angeles Clippers middle Marcin Gortat, middle, and guard Avery Bradley in the course of the first half of an NBA basketball recreation Friday, Jan. 18, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photograph/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES — Regardless of a recreation effort from the depleted Clippers, the Golden State Warriors are 1-Zero within the DeMarcus Cousins period.

With all of Staples Middle’s 19,Zero68 seats crammed, ESPN screening the sport nationally and reporters from throughout the nation having descended to bear witness to Boogie’s debut as a Golden State Warrior on Friday, the Clippers held the Warriors to a downright pedestrian offensive output. However they couldn’t maintain them in verify for the complete recreation, falling 112-94.

Cousins had 14 factors in 15 minutes and Golden State (32-14) pulled away within the fourth quarter for its seventh consecutive win as the Clippers (24-21) misplaced their season-worst fifth in a row.

Dealing with the two-time defending champion Warriors, who have been, terrifyingly, at full power for the primary time (a minimum of till Cousins fouled out with eight:51 to play), the Clippers have been considerably lower than entire.

Shortly earlier than the sport got here information that Lou Williams (18.7 factors per recreation) was being held out on account of a sore hamstring. Then, with about 4 minutes left within the first quarter, Danilo Gallinari (19.Four) left the sport, his night time ended prematurely by decrease again spasms.

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And but, with Tobias Harris (28 factors, 9 rebounds) and rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (a career-high-tying 24 factors, to go together with 5 assists) keying the trouble, the Clippers hung tight for as lengthy as they might.

They fought again from a 14-point third-quarter deficit to shut it to 81-72 getting into the fourth quarter, when the Warriors sank their tooth into an experimental lineup of Johnathan Motley, Jerome Robinson, Boban Marjanovic, Tyrone Wallace and Patrick Beverley, on whom Cousins drained back-to-back Three-pointers to extend the result in 87-72.

The Warriors continued to tug away from then, although it wasn’t fairly the onslaught they’d produced in some of their current victories.

Golden State steamrolled into Friday’s recreation having gained six straight, having scored a minimum of 142 factors in three of its previous 4 video games, when it has shot 52.6 % from the sector and 47.7 from Three-point vary.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers stated he thought that sort of offensive explosiveness may get the eye of his staff, whose defensive shortcomings of late have been apparent.

“(Assistant coach) Rex (Kalamian), calls me last night and, very sarcastically, I was like, ‘This is phenomenal. We couldn’t have picked a better opponent – correct?’ And there was silence on the phone,” Rivers stated. “But in some ways, it may be. Sometimes you need something to focus you. If they don’t focus you and you don’t play right, then they embarrass you. And so you have to play well to beat them.”

For the Warriors, who shot 49.Four % on Friday, Steph Curry completed with 28 factors, Kevin Durant had 24 and Klay Thompson had 14. The Warriors shot simply 9 of 37 on Three-pointers on an evening when Curry made solely three from lengthy vary and Thompson missed all 4 of his Three-point makes an attempt.

Cousins shot 5 for 11 from the ground and added six rebounds and three assists throughout his first recreation since Jan. 26, 2018, when he ruptured his left Achilles tendon enjoying for New Orleans. He missed the remaining of final season, together with 9 playoff video games for the Pelicans. The Warriors signed him final July.